“Damn it.”
Leonard’s expression hardened at the message that arrived early in the morning. As he read through the contents written on the parchment, he couldn’t hold back and finally let out a curse.
At the ominously chilling voice, Yellian rolled their large eyes, cautiously observing him.
“Why…… are you like this?”
At the cautious question, Leonard narrowed his brows and let out a short sigh.
The more he did so, the more anxious Yellian became. They wondered what on earth could be troubling him to reveal such discomfort.
“It seems the empire is conducting a national inspection targeting the cats in the capital.”
“What? What kind of inspection are you talking about?”
In South Korea, the country where Yellian originally lived, national health checkups were conducted for the adult population, but a national inspection targeting cats was unheard of.
“Rumors that cats are spreading a disease have apparently spread uncontrollably. So, it seems they intend to weed out the cats that might carry the disease.”
“Will that even be effective? And let’s say, just for argument’s sake, they find a cat that might actually carry a disease. What are they going to do with it?”
“They’ll kill it.”
Shocked by the curt reply, Yellian covered their mouth with their soft front paws.
Back when they lived in the human world, Yellian had read articles about diseases like foot-and-mouth disease leading to pigs or cows being buried alive. Even then, they thought it was heartbreaking, but now it was no longer someone else’s problem-it was their own.
“How can they do such a thing? What did the cats do wrong!”
“For now, it’s just baseless rumors, so there probably aren’t any cats actually spreading diseases. So don’t worry too much.”
“……Really?”
“Of course.”
Though Leonard responded calmly to Yellian’s question, in truth, he was just as disturbed as they were.
He only meant to reassure Yellian, but in reality, he knew that countless cats would be sacrificed because of this matter.
It seemed Abigail intended to create a scapegoat to quell the rumors that cats were spreading a disease.
After slaughtering dozens, perhaps hundreds, of innocent cats and proclaiming that the disease had been prevented, the citizens of the empire would likely feel at ease.
Leonard couldn’t help but wonder what Abigail was thinking to publicly declare such an absurd plan.
“I have some business outside today, so I’ll be stepping out for a while. Stay home and behave.”
“When have I ever not behaved…….?”
“Plenty of times. Quite a lot, actually.”
“…….”
At the firm words, memories of past mistakes flashed through Yellian’s mind like a revolving lantern. So, instead of arguing, they quietly shut their mouth.
* * *
A sharp silence hung over the imperial office. The silence, sharp enough to cut someone down, was nothing short of terrifying. Even the gazes they exchanged were edged with tension.
No one seemed willing to break the silence rashly, their lips tightly sealed. It was as if the first to speak would be admitting defeat.
“You look like you have something to say, so speak.”
In the end, it was Abigail who spoke first. His voice, unlike usual, was chillingly cold.
Leonard felt the unusual coldness in his voice, yet he had no capacity to consider Abigail’s mood.
“What were you thinking when you publicly declared such a decree?”
“Such a decree. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
At the clearly feigned ignorance, Leonard felt anger boiling up inside him.
Abigail was deliberately provoking his anger right now. Knowing this, instead of venting his overflowing rage, Leonard opened his mouth as rationally as possible.
“I’m talking about the temporary decree that all cats in the empire must undergo a national inspection.”
“Ah, you’re talking about that.”
Abigail spoke as if he just realized it. Seeing this, Leonard narrowed his eyes and scrutinized him thoroughly.
Even as a pitch-black darkness seemed directed at him, Abigail showed no sign of fear, meeting Leonard’s equally dark gaze head-on.
“Why on earth did you declare such a decree? What’s your intention? Surely, there will be lives harmed by this decree. And you’re not so foolish as to be unaware of that.”
“I don’t quite understand what you’re saying. My intention is obvious. The citizens of the empire are terrified by rumors that cats are spreading a disease. This has even led to incidents of people attacking neighbors who keep cats, resulting in casualties. As Emperor, isn’t it right for me to do something to quell these rumors? Or should I just sit back and watch the citizens live in fear? Even if I’m just an Emperor in name, isn’t that too much?”
On the surface, it sounded like a reasonable explanation. From the perspective of an Emperor, it could even be considered a valid opinion.
However, Leonard had no intention of being swayed by his seemingly noble words.
“Why not be honest? You did this because you don’t like me or Yellian. If you had thought just a little deeper, you wouldn’t have missed the fact that lives will be harmed by this. If you wanted to suppress the rumors, there were other ways. You could have tracked down the instigators of the rumors or punished those spreading unverified information. The reason you chose the hard path over the easy one is obvious.”
As Leonard replied coldly, Abigail’s gaze also sharpened. He soon scoffed and sneered.
“You think I did this because of you and Yellian? That’s ridiculous. Leonard, it seems you have a victim complex.”
“The victim complex isn’t mine, it’s yours.”
“What?”
“You’re the one with a victim complex because of the fact that your imperial authority is weak. How can you deny it when you keep mentioning ‘an Emperor in name only’ at every turn?”
“Damn it, Leonard!”
Unable to hold back after being struck at his core, Abigail raised his voice. Leonard, watching him, maintained a cold expression.
It’s true that Abigail was a dear friend to him, but Leonard wasn’t willing to overlook something that would put Yellian in danger.
“If you insist on enforcing a decree that harms innocent lives, fine, I’ll have to comply. You’re the Emperor, and I’m just a Duke. But know this one thing. Right now, as you let momentary emotions drive you to hold innocent lives as collateral, you are nothing more than the most hollow puppet Emperor I’ve ever seen.”
“Leonard, how can you say such a thing to me? Are you saying you’ll choose love over friendship? All for that damned feline humanoid you’ve only known for a short time?!”
“Why can’t you see that you’re doing something utterly foolish!”
“Both of you, stop it!”
Anderson, who had been silent until now, uncharacteristically raised his voice. Always calm and quiet, Anderson seemed unable to endure the situation any longer.
“You’re both too worked up. It would be better to cool off and talk again later.”
Anderson’s words weren’t wrong. Leonard realized that continuing this conversation with Abigail would only escalate their emotions, so he quietly stood up from his seat.
“I’ll take my leave for today. I hope you’ll think this over carefully.”
Leonard left the office, leaving Abigail and Anderson behind.
* * *
Returning straight to Duke Abrams’ estate, Leonard was still in a state of heated agitation.
It wasn’t as if he and Abigail had never clashed before, but this was the first time they had collided so fiercely.
While he regretted saying something about a victim complex, he also thought it was something Abigail needed to hear eventually, so perhaps it was for the best.
“……Leonard.”
“What’s wrong?”
“You don’t look good. Did something happen?”
Yellian asked with concern, their ears and tail drooping. As Leonard gave a faint smile and patted Yellian’s backside, their tail slowly straightened up into a stiff line.
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